Organising general practice for care homes: Qualitative interviews
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Organising general practice for care homes: A multi-method study
IRAS ID
213406
Contact name
Barbara Hanratty
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
General practitioners provide front line medical care for care homes, and the people who live there are often a GP’s most complicated patients. Some research suggests that the quality of health care provided for residents may not be as good as the care given to older adults who live in their own homes. With the number of people in care homes predicted to rise rapidly, it will be more and more important that services are well organised.
In many parts of the country, GPs look after their individual residents in care homes, so that the home has to work with many general practices. In recent years, the authorities that plan local health services have worked with GPs to find new ways of organising medical services for care homes. These changes may have different consequences for residents and staff.
This study aims to identify ways of organising GP services for care homes that produce good health outcomes for residents at lowest cost. This ethics application focuses on the views of residents, relatives and staff.
We have selected three areas in England. Two of them have introduced new ways for GPs to work with care homes, one has not had any new initiatives. We will interview frontline staff in general practice and care homes to gain insight into the impact of any changes on staff. We will also interview residents and relatives, to understand their experiences and perceptions of GP services when delivered in different ways.
At the end of this project, we will have a better understanding of the different ways that GPs work with care homes. We will work closely with stakeholders and policy makers to make sure that our work influences what happens at a local level, to improve experiences and outcomes for care home residents.REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0076
Date of REC Opinion
24 Feb 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion